ICCBT2008

Mechanical Properties of Foamed Concrete

C.G. Puttappa, M S R Institute of Technology, Bangalore-560 054, INDIA

Rudresh, M/s Vijaya Metal Finishers Materials & Honey Hill Synergy system, Bangalore,
INDIA
A. Ibrahim, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Selangor, MALAYSIA
K.U. Muthu*, M S R Institute of Technology, Bangalore-560 054, INDIA
H.S Raghavendra, M S R Institute of Technology, Bangalore-560 054, INDIA

ABSTRACT

Foamed concrete can be considered relatively homogeneous when compared to normal

concrete, as it does not contain coarse aggregate phase. However, the properties of foamed
concrete depend on the microstructure and composition, which are influenced by the type of
binder used, methods of pre-foamation and curing. Though, it has been widely recognized as
an insulation material, a renewed interest is shown by researchers in its structural character
exhibits. As the production involves the materials of low density: a few fillers viz fly ash,
quarry dust, GGBS and sludge from paper mills are used. An attempt has been made in the
present investigations to produce foamed concrete of desired density 1600 kg/m3 to 1800
kg/m3. Then their strength properties viz compressive strength, flexural strength and the
resistance against sulphate attack were investigated and the results are reported.

Key words: - Concrete, Density, Durability, Foam, Production,Strength.

* Correspondence author- Dr. K. U. Muthu, Professor of Civil Engg, M S R Institute of Technology, MSR
Nagar, Bangalore-560 054 INDIA, Telephone No-+91-080-23600822 E-mail- kumuthu@rediffmail

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Mechanical Properties of Foamed Concrete

1. INTRODUCTION

Foam concrete are a vast majority of concrete containing no large aggregates, only fine sand
and with extremely light weight materials containing cement, water and foam. A few
investigators have reported that foamed concrete is one having an air content of more than
25%, which disintegrates it from highly air entrained materials. The main advantage of foam
concrete is its light weight which ensures economy for walls of the lower floors and
foundations. It has several advantages because of its porous nature; it provides thermal
insulation and considerable savings in the material. The important application of foamed
concrete includes structural elements, non structural partitions and thermal insulating
materials. Manufacturers developed foam concretes of different densities to suit the above
requirements. The density of foam concrete ranges from 300-1800 kg/m3 and these products
were used in trench reinstatement, bridge abutment, void filling, roof insulation, road sub
base, wall construction, tunneling etc., A detailed treatment of foamed concrete is given in
reference [1-3]. Initially, it was recognized as an insulating material and recently
investigations are in progress for the use in structural elements [4, 5]. In the present study, it is
intended to produce foam concrete of different densities and study the mechanical properties
viz compressive strength, flexural strength and resistance against sulphate attack.

2. EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAMME

The experimental programme was planned to cast and test 96 cubes for compressive strength,
72 prisms for flexural strength and 96 cubes for durability tests. Two batches of different mix
proportions were cast viz for mixes M1 to M4 and M5 to M8. It is to be noted that the foam
percentage for the batch one is 25 percent by volume and for batch two 14 percent
approximately. In each mix proportion, 12 specimens were cast and tested for 7, 28, 60 and 90
days respectively. Three specimens were tested and average value was taken as the respective
strength in compression and flexure. The ingredients were selected in such a way that for mix
M1 and M2 the difference is that in mix M1 the quantity of fly ash is nil, while in M2 it was
40% by weight of cement. The mix M3 and M4 contains fly ash of 75 percent and 100 percent
by weight of cement. In the next batch M6 and M7 mixes contain same percentage of fly ash
as above except the foam percentage is maintained about 14 percent approximately.

2.1 Constituent Materials

The foamed concrete has been produced by using the following constituents viz cement, sand,
quarry dust, fly ash and foaming agent.

2.1.1 Cement

A few investigations were reported using rapid hardening Portland cement, high alumina and
calcium sulfoaluminate cement. In the present investigations an ordinary Portland cement of
330 – 760 kg/m3 of 53 grade has been used.

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2.1.2 Sand

The amount, type and particle size distribution of sand influences the strength of foamed
concrete. The sand content is varied as given in Table-1 to ensure production of strong mix.
Locally available coarse sand is used from practical consideration.

2.1.3 Quarry Dust

The quarry dust has been used as an additional filler material. Quarry dust consists mainly of
excess fines generated from crushing, washing and screening operations at quarries. The
material properties of this waste vary with the source, but are relatively constant at a particular
site. For the present study, quarry dust obtained from near by quarry was used. The quarry
dust used for this investigation was sieved through 4.75mm sieve. In the present study, an
equal amount of sand has been used.

2.1.4 Fly Ash

The fly ash has been widely used in construction practices. A good fly ash should have high
fineness, low carbon content and good reactivity which would enhance the technical
advantage of the properties of foamed concrete. About seventy five thermal plants are
distributed evenly across India, hence hauling cost is minimal. As the source of material vary
and hence quality does vary and as most of fly ash are unprocessed. In the present
investigation fly ash from Neyveli thermal plant, Tamilnadu, India has been used. The
quantity of fly ash in the mix is treated as a variable and the percentage is varied from 0, 40,
75 and 100 percent of weight of cement.

2.1.5 Foam

The foam is mainly added as a base material and the main requirement is that it must be
capable of remaining stable and not collapsing during pumping, placement and curing. The
density of the foam is about 110 kg/m3 and investigators reported that foam materials below
this density is to be manufactured with care. The preformed foam consists of aqueous solution
(one part of foaming Chemical with 30 parts of water) and compressed air of pressure 5
kg/cm2.

2.1.6 Water to Cement Ratio

In case of normal concrete, the water cement ratio is about 0.5 to achieve reasonable
workability. In case of foamed concrete, the water demand is to be carefully attended to. If
less water is used; then the water will not be sufficient for the initial reaction of the cement
and hence the cement will withdraw water from the foam. This makes the degeneration of
foam. On the other hand, more quantity of water causes segregation resulting in a range of
different densities. The reported Investigations point out the water cement ratio in the range of
0.4 to 0.8 for foam concrete. In the present investigation water-cement ratio of 0.7 has been
used except mix 1 and mix 5 it was 0.5.

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2.1.7 Water binder ratio

The water binder ratio was calculated by taking the binder as the sum of the weights of
cement and fly ash. The water binder ratio varies from 0.5, 0.4 and 0.35 for the mixes used
and are given in Table 1.

2.2 Mixing Procedure

Initially the constituent materials were weighed and dry mixing was carried out for cement,
sand and quarry dust. This was thoroughly mixed in concrete mixer of capacity 200kg. The
mixing duration was 2 minutes and then the water was added incrementally to obtain a
reasonable working mix. The mixing was carried out for one minute duration. The required
quantity of foam was measured in volume and then it was added to the wet mix and again the
mixing was continued for 30 seconds. Mixing for more duration after adding foam will
disintegrate the foam. Then they were poured into the cube moulds of size 150x150x150 mm
and prisms moulds of size 75x75x450 mm.

Figure 1 Mixing of foam concrete & pouring into moulds

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Table 1. Mix proportions in m3 for the series of foamed concrete investigated with w/c of 0.5

Mix Sand Cement Water Foaming Agent Percent Percent

S/C
Designation (kg) (kg) (kg) (litre) Foam Mortar
0.00 0.00 867 433 290 29.0 71.0
0.25 186 743 371 320 32.0 68.0
0.50 325 650 325 340 34.0 66.0
M1300 0.75 433 578 289 360 36.0 64.0
1.00 520 520 260 380 38.0 62.0
1.50 650 433 217 400 40.0 60.0
2.00 743 371 185 416 42.0 58.0
0.00 0.00 933 467 232 23.0 77.0
0.25 200 800 400 270 27.0 73.0
0.50 350 700 350 293 29.3 70.7
M1400 0.75 467 622 311 313 31.3 68.7
1.00 560 560 280 330 33.0 67.0
1.50 700 467 233 354 35.4 64.6
2.00 800 400 200 370 37.0 63.0
0.25 214 857 429 215 21.5 78.5
0.50 375 750 375 243 24.3 75.7
0.75 500 667 333 264 26.4 73.6
M1500 1.00 600 600 300 282 28.2 71.8
1.50 750 500 250 308 30.8 69.2
2.00 857 429 214 326 32.6 67.4
0.00 0.00 1067 533 123 12.3 87.7
0.25 229 914 457 162 16.2 83.8
0.50 400 800 400 192 19.2 80.8
0.75 533 711 356 215 21.5 78.5
M1600
1.00 640 640 320 234 23.4 76.6
1.50 800 533 264 262 26.2 73.8
2.00 914 457 230 282 28.2 71.8

3. MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF FOAMED CONCRETE

3.1 Compressive strength

At the time of testing, the cured specimens were surface dried. It is loaded in UTM at a
uniform rate of 14 N/mm2 / min and the compressive strength was calculated using
150x150x150mm cubes. The cubes were tested for 7, 28, 60 and 90 days of curing. It is noted
that the compressive strength and density increases with age. (Figure-2 & 3).

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COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH

20

COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH (N/mm )

2
18

16

14

12

10

0
7 28 60 90
MIX - 1 3.925 6.685 9.011 6.467
MIX - 2 3.777 4.941 6.976 6.865
MIX - 3 3.343 6.395 18.530 7.412
MIX - 4 1.887 5.159 8.502 5.159

NO OF DAYS

Figure 2 Variation of Compressive Strength with days M1 – M4

COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH

30
COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH (N/mm )
2

25

20

15

10

0
7 28 60 90
MIX - 5 14.970 19.039 23.835 23.689
MIX - 6 11.336 14.243 20.637 22.163
MIX - 7 9.883 16.423 17.876 19.475
MIX - 8 14.679 18.167 21.873 23.544

NO OF DAYS

Figure 3 Variation of Compressive Strength with days M5 – M8

3.2 Flexural Strength

The flexural strength was calculated by testing the prisms of size 75x75x450mm. The average
flexural strength varies from 1.43 to 3.80 N/mm2 after the above period of curing. (Figure 4 &
5).

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FLEXURAL STRENGTH

3.0

2
FLEXURAL STRENGTH N/mm
2.5

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0.0
28 60 90
MIX - 1 2.403 1.179 2.147
MIX - 2 1.707 1.245 2.232
MIX - 3 1.433 0.851 1.883
MIX - 4 1.577 1.418 2.195

NO OF DAYS

Figure 4 Variation of Flexural strength with days M1 – M4

FLEXURAL STRENGTH

4.5
FLEXURAL STRENGTH N/mm2

4.0

3.5

3.0

2.5

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0.0
28 60 90
MIX - 5 2.942 2.825 1.831
MIX - 6 3.143 2.365 2.258
MIX - 7 1.678 1.767 1.921
MIX - 8 3.898 3.695 3.802

NO OF DAYS

Figure 5 Variation of Flexural strength with days M5 – M8

3.3 Durability Studies

The cube specimens of size 150x150x150 mm were cured for twenty eight days. The initial
weight was found out after drying. A solution of magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) was prepared
in which 5% by weight of magnesium sulphate was mixed with water. The water was agitated
till all the particles of MgSO4 crystals completely gets dissolved in water. The cubes were
then immersed in that solution. After each specific period, the cubes were taken out and the
surface dried. The surface of the cubes was cleaned and the final weight of the specimen was
found out. The percentage loss in weight varies from 0.31 to 0.51% (Figure 6 & 7) and the
compressive strength increases with a reduction of foam content from 25 percent (Figure 8) in
the first set to 14 percent by weight in the second set. (Figure 9).

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DURABILITY TEST

1.6

1.4

% OF WEIGHT LOSS
1.2

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0.0
7 14 21 28
MIX - 1 0.506 0.178 0.558 0.642
MIX - 2 0.462 0.198 0.712 0.340
MIX - 3 0.442 0.297 0.669 0.697
MIX - 4 0.313 0.372 1.504 0.796

NO OF DAYS

Figure 6 Percentage Loss of Weight vs. days M1 – M4

DURABILITY TEST

0.8

0.7
% OF WEIGHT LOSS

0.6

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0.0
7 14 21 28
MIX - 5 0.195 0.347 0.429 0.451
MIX - 6 0.354 0.382 0.560 0.530
MIX - 7 0.244 0.062 0.220 0.216
MIX - 8 0.435 0.323 0.673 0.568

NO OF DAYS

Figure 7 Percentage Loss of Weight vs. days M5 – M8

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DURABILITY TEST

12.0

2
COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH N/mm
10.0

8.0

6.0

4.0

2.0

0.0
7 14 21 28
MIX - 1 6.395 8.575 7.848 8.793
MIX - 2 6.249 7.121 7.049 9.011
MIX - 3 7.993 7.993 9.156 9.592
MIX - 4 7.267 8.429 8.793 9.592

NO OF DAYS

Figure 8 Variation of Compressive Strength after Sulphate attack M1 – M4

DURABILITY TEST

35.0
COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH N/mm2

30.0

25.0

20.0

15.0

10.0

5.0

0.0
7 14 21 28
MIX - 5 25.506 29.321 19.947 24.343
MIX - 6 20.492 20.347 21.255 21.291
MIX - 7 16.713 18.748 18.873 19.402
MIX - 8 21.073 23.762 20.711 24.053

NO OF DAYS

Figure 9 Variation of Compressive Strength after Sulphate attack M5 – M8

4. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

• The present study is focused on developing a methodology for the production of

foamed concrete for structural elements.
• A foamed concrete of M20 grade could be obtained by using a cement of 468 kg/m3;
sand 234 kg/m3; quarry dust 234 kg/m3; fly ash 468 kg/m3; water 327 litres/m3 and 14
kg/m3 of foam. It is possible to attain the above strength at 90 days. The reason could
be that the addition of fly ash of equal amount of cement; makes it possible to gain the
strength with age.
• The comparison of compressive strength with increase in time shows that for mix with
only cement, the compressive strength increases steadily with time while for the mix

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 Mechanical Properties of Foamed Concrete

M2 and M6, the compressive strength slowly increases and at the age of 90 days and
beyond both the mixes with fly ash and without fly ash attains the same compressive
strength.
• The flexural strength drops at the age of 60 days while comparing with 30 days
flexural strength, but however again it increases. The sudden drop of flexural strength
has to be further investigated by conducting more experiments.
• The resistance to sulphate attack was studied by making a solution that contains 5% of
MgSO4 by weight. The percentage of weight loss was estimated and is found to be
negligible. This ensures that foam concrete exhibits good resistance to sulphate attack.
The compressive strength of the sulphate attacked specimens more or less followed the
same pattern as that of normal specimens.

Acknowledgment

The authors would like to acknowledge the Management of M.S.Ramaiah Institute of

Technology, Bangalore & Dr.K.Rajanikanth, Principal for their constant encouragement &
support for carrying out the present study.

REFERENCES

[1]. Rudnai, G, Light weight Concrete, Akademini kiado, Budapest, pp 52– 55, 1963
[2]. Short A and Kinniburg W, Light weight Concretes, Asia Publishing House, 1963.
[3]. Narayanan N and Ramamurthy K, Structure and Properties of Aerated Concrete. A Review,
Cement and Concrete composites, 22, pp 321-329, 2000.
[4]. Hamidah MS, Ibrahim A, Alex liew and Suffian walini, R & D on Foamed Concrete Applications
in Housing industry, Research paper, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Malaysia, pp1 – 22, 2003.
[5]. Jones M R and Mccarthy A, Behavior and Assessment of Foamed Concrete for Construction
Applications, Proceedings of the International conference, University of Dundee, UK, pp 61 – 83,
July 2005.

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